The Wizard And The Pendulum
by SlytherinLittleSnake
Summary: Harry is rescued from the Dursleys, but can Severus save him from falling in the same darkness that he once fell? Does he even want to? Very AU from PS/SS, mentions child abuse, Slytherin!Harry.
1. Chapter 1

_This story is being written by three people. Two of us use this account. Our names are Simone and Felipe. The third person has her own account, and her penname on this site is theresnomeaning. Since the idea to this story was mine (I'm Simone, btw) theresnomeaning insisted that I should create an account to publish. Felipe is lazy and is using my account *sighs*._

_Neither of us have English as first language, so please be nice and don't flame when you see a grammar or spelling error. Kind corrections are always welcome, as is constructive criticism._

_Please read and comment!_

**Chapter I**

Harry James Potter was seven for the first time he realized that nobody loved him. It wasn't that hard to notice, really, and even young as he was, all it took was a bit of observation. Harry watched Aunt Petunia fussing over Dudley, his cousin, because he had fallen from the swing in the park. She had never done that for Harry, not even when he was ill.

He wondered why they were treated so differently... And the conclusion hurt him badly. Aunt didn't love him, and neither Uncle Vernon. Nobody loved him. Still, Harry wanted to believe that one day, maybe, they would.

His hopes were crushed some weeks later that incident. Harry was washing the dishes, as he always did, and dropped a glass. The noise from the glass breaking echoed on the kitchen, giving Harry chills on his spine. He knew that breaking things meant that he would have less food than usual - and he already got less than he would wish for. He was desperate, so he closed his eyes and _wished_, he wished with all his will that the glass could be fixed... He prayed to God that it could be fixed...

He opened his eyes and saw the glass was whole again. Hesitantly, he picked up the glass and gave a little smile, showing it to Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon - who had come to the kitchen alerted by the noise.

Uncle Vernon was purple with rage, and Aunt Petunia was looking at him with disgust. Surely, he had broken the glass, but he had also prayed to God to fix it, and it worked! They shouldn't look like that...

"You... You... FREAK!" Uncle Vernon shouted and advanced on Harry, who on his fear, dropped the glass on he floor again.

It was the first time Harry heard that word, freak, but certainly not the last.

"I will not have this unnaturalness on my house, Petunia!" Vernon billowed, looking at the woman and pointing at Harry. "I've been putting up with him for all these years because it hadn't happened things like this... Until now. I won't have, boy," Vernon yelled, grabbing the boy's thin arms and shaking him hard enough to leave bruises, spit landing on Harry's face because of the proximity. "I will not tolerate this freakishness of your in my house! Do you hear me?"

"Y-Yes, Uncle Vernon," Harry stuttered.

Harry's punishment was two full days without food... But it would get worse, and soon.

.

Aunt Petunia was always complaining about Harry's hair. So she decided to cut it. The boy didn't like the cut, he preferred his hair at the length of his shoulders...

Much to Harry's amusement, on the next day his hair was again like before the cut. He was cooking breakfast, and Uncle Vernon was already on the table, waiting for the boy to cook as though he was a slave.

When Aunt Petunia got in the kitchen she shrieked so loud it startled Harry, who dropped the frying pan on the floor, making a great mess.

"What has happened Petunia?" Vernon asked. "And you, boy! Clean this mess NOW!"

"I-I cut his hair yesterday!" Petunia said, horrified. "And he... He... Look at his hair, Vernon!"

Vernon looked at Harry and his eyes bulged.

"You little freak whelp! You are wasting our food and you keep on using those... Those unnatural powers of yours! I won't have it in my house. Today you'll learn a good lesson, boy!"

And then, Vernon went upstairs and took a belt from his wardrobe. It was the first time Harry received a beating, but not the last. After being beaten severely, Harry was thrown on the cupboard under the stairs - also known as his room.

There were welts on his back, opened wound that bled and hurt badly. Harry could barely move. Everything hurt. His back and throat - he had screamed until he lost his voice - were the worst, though. He didn't understand why Uncle Vernon was so upset... He kept talking about "freakish powers"... He wasn't even that mad because Harry had wasted food!

Later, on the evening, Harry knew he had been forgotten inside the cupboard, and despite his whole body being hot, he was feeling cold, with shivers breaking his body every seconds. Harry recognized that as having a fever - he'd heard the, what were they called, symptoms? On the telly. That meant he was sick. But there was no one to take care of him.

His sleep on that night was plagued with nightmares and delusions. He woke up to a shouting Vernon.

That night he learned that he shouldn't cry and wake the entire house if he had a nightmare. But more than this, Harry realized that his relatives not only didn't love, but hated him.

He cried softly and quietly when the cupboard door was closed again. His body hurt, but something inside him also ached.

.

Years passed, and Harry's relatives' treatment of him become worse, because beating didn't have to have a reason to happen, but they were always worse when Harry did something "freak".

At first, Harry believed that those incidents were caused by God, since he was always praying for help when they happened. As the years passed, though, he concluded that it wasn't God who did that. Everybody said that God was good and fair, so why did he allow Harry's relatives to treat him like that? For the child knew that what he suffered was wrong, he'd heard about that - abuse - but he had never tried to denounce the Dursleys, because he knew that adults wouldn't believe him, and his relatives surely wouldn't confess what they did.

Harry knew that the treatment he received wasn't _fair_... So why didn't God do anything to help him? Why didn't he put the Dursleys in jail... Or killed them... Or put Harry with a good family? Why?

So Harry knew that it had be something caused by himself that made the Dursleys so mad and enraged at the point that once his Uncle belted him until unconsciousness...

At first, Harry wanted to find out what it was and stop doing it. But just as he knew his relatives hated him, he suspected that nothing good he tried to do would make them like him... And after so much pain they caused him, it wasn't as though Harry really cared for their love, not any more.

So, Harry wanted to know what he could do so he would be able to use that on his favor, perhaps even finding a way out, a way to live by himself.

Near his eleventh birthday, owls began to appear on the Dursley's residence. Harry's relatives seemed to know what that was about... And it had something to do with him.

The owls brought letters, and Harry was very curious about them, so when he was working on the garden, he sneaked and took one of the letters. Unfortunately, Dudley saw it, and told his parents.

Harry didn't see his birthday that year. Needless to say, his unconsciousness wasn't natural, but caused by a very brutal beating. That was how Severus Snape and Minerva McGonagall found him inside the cupboard under the stairs.

.

There were a few people whose company Severus Snape, Potions professor at Hogwarts, would seek. Among these few people were included, but not only, Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy, Filius Flitwick and Minerva McGonagall. He found himself, right then, at Minerva's chambers, enjoying a game of chess and a glass of firewhiskey.

It was then that a little diary on a desk shook. Minerva took the thing, opened and read it, her expression becoming concerned and... Angry. Whoever had seen Minerva McGonagall angry - Severus had - knew it wasn't a good thing.

"I'm afraid that our game will have to be interrupted, Severus. I am sorry, but there is something urgent I must deal with."

Severus raised one eyebrow, trying to resist his own curiosity...

"Hagrid went to deliver Harry Potter's letter today, but it seems that his relatives are not being cooperative..."

Severus snorted. Of course it had to be the Potter brat to interrupt his game of chess. The boy wasn't even at Hogwarts yet and was already tormenting his life. James Potter would be proud.

"I am sure it is the boy's own doing..."

"Severus Snape! You will not judge the boy before you even know him!" Minerva said sternly. "I know you didn't like James Potter, but Harry is a child that didn't even know his parents! And Hagrid wrote me that his relatives were incredibly rude, the aunt threatened to call the muggle police if he didn't leave them."

So Petunia was still _pleasant_ as always, Severus thought... And the it occurred to him... Could it be that Petunia, who was jealous of Lily's magic, didn't want the boy to learn about magic? Could it be that she harbored those feelings still?

"Would you like some company in your visit to the Dursleys, Minerva?" Severus asked and the witch looked at him half-amused, half-smug. Of course, it was a plan to make him go and see the Potter brat. No doubt his colleague wanted Severus to be nice to the boy... Preposterous. He would only to torment Petunia a bit... She surely wouldn't be happy to see him after all these years.

"I guess it would be good to have you there, Severus. This way you can sneer and glare at Potter's relatives... They are the worst sort of muggles, I told this Albus years ago... But did he listen to me? Of course not..."

.

They apparated near Privet Drive number four. Minerva was mumbling all the way the Dursley's residence about how much she was against Potter's placement. They met with Hagrid, who was a bit far from Potter's house... The half giant got back to Hogwarts, knowing that both teachers would deal with the situation.

Minerva knocked on the Dursley's door. Some moments later a horse faced woman opened it. Severus smirked, Petunia...

"What do you want?" she spat, glaring at McGonagall. When her eyes laid on Snape, though, she shrieked. "YOU! You are that horrible boy with whom Lily walked; Snape! I take that her," she pointed at Minerva "is a freak too. What do you want?"

"We just want to talk with Potter," Snape replied. Minerva was looking thoroughly offended.

"He's not here!" Petunia said and shut the door on their faces.

"What an unpleasant woman... I hope Mr. Potter hadn't learnt anything from her," Minerva said. "_Alohamora_."

They got in the house, much to Petunia's and Vernon's rage.

"You are so... Uneducated, Petunia Dursley!" Minerva said. "If Mr. Potter isn't here then tell us where he is!"

"He ran away, years ago... The little whelp was ungrateful..." Vernon said, but was cut off by Severus.

"Interesting... Because there are wards around this house that would alert us if Potter got out of he property for more than some days... Which means, Dursley, that you are lying. Now, where is the boy?"

Vernon looked, then, fearful, which unsettled Snape to no end. What were the Dursleys hiding?

"He is not here! And get out you two before I call the Police!" Vernon shouted, picking up the phone.

"You will not call the Police," Minerva said and transfigured the phone into a toad. Vernon let go of the animal instantly.

"Get out!"

"Very well, you have three second to tell us where is Potter, or I will, literally, drag the truth out of your mind..."

"GET OUT!" shouted both Vernon and Petunia.

"Very well," Severus said and looked at Minerva. She shrugged, and Severus knew that she wasn't very worried about him using magic on the muggles. They just needed to obliviate them afterwards... "_Petrificus Totalus,_" Vernon fell to floor. "_Legilimens._"

Severus looked for memories of Potter and was engulfed by horrible and violent memories. It couldn't be...

But it was.

He looked in the last memory of Potter and saw the cupboard under the stairs. He exited Vernon's mind and ran towards the place he'd seen.

"Minerva," he called, hesitating a bit on opening the door. "He's in there..."

She paled and hurriedly approached the small door.

"It probably won't be something pretty..." he warned and opened the door, casting a _Lumos_ to illuminate the small cupboard.

"Oh Merlin!" Minerva whispered.

Sure, it was James' son - there was no denial seeing the child's hair and face... But... But Potter was a little child who did not deserve to be beaten like that, no matter what he'd done. And Severus knew that the boy probably hadn't done anything to deserve that. Severus' father never hesitated on beating him for no reason. That broken boy in the cupboard wasn't the result of a punishment that got out of hand, he was the result of continuous abuse.

Snape took deep breaths, but they didn't help an iota... Minerva was frozen in shock...

He looked at Petunia, who was standing not far from them, looking with rage. From what he'd seen on Vernon's mind, she had never, ever helped her nephew. Lily's child.

In the middle of a animalistic sneer, Snape cast a _Cruciatus_. Petunia fell on the floor, screaming loudly. Severus liked it. He'd been a loyal Death Eater once, and there was no denying that he'd only stopped being loyal because of Lily... It wasn't as though he didn't appreciate some... _Punishment_ if someone deserved it. Add to it the fact that Petunia had never been nice to him - much to the inverse, actually...

"_Expelliarmus_!" he heard Minerva shout and his wand flew towards her hand. The curse was ended, and Petunia lay there, shaking and crying. "Severus... I know you are angry, but this isn't really the way to deal with this. Please take Harry to Hogwarts and I will deal with them."

"Why can't I deal with them and you take Potter..."

"Because both of us know that if you... _Deal_ with them, you will kill them, and only Merlin knows _how_! I don't want to see you in Azkaban."

Oh yes, Minerva was angry, and no doubt the Dursleys would suffer because of that... But she wasn't - had never once been - a sadist. She _wouldn't_ torture the Dursleys to the death.

"Do I have your word that if I gave you the wand you will take Harry to Hogwarts without casting another single spell at them?"

"Yes."

Minerva gave him the wand back and cast a _Patronus_ to call aurors. Didn't the Dursleys want the Police? They would have it, but the wizarding one, and they certainly wouldn't be happy to know what had been done to the Boy Who Lived.

Severus knelt outside the cupboard and took Potter, berating at his own stupidity of cursing Petunia before giving the child a pain relieving and sleeping potion - what he did then, spelling the potions directly into Potter's stomach. He waited some minutes and took Harry on his arms, noticing how light the boy was, and that he seemed to be running a fever.

"I will take him to Poppy," he said quietly. Minerva nodded. She had cast a body bind and silencing charm on Petunia.

"I... Obliviated her. The aurors will still know that the _Cruciatus_ was used, but I don't think they will care about it once they listen to whole story."

"Thank you, Minerva..."

"But don't you think that I won't want some words with you about this. Now go."

Severus nodded and hurriedly walked out the Dursleys residence, quickly exiting the wards to be able to disapparate. There were no muggles on the street, so it was easy to find a place hidden enough to disapparate.

_Now, before you ask, we still don't know if Harry is going to be actually dark or neutral on this story. theresnomeaning wants a Death Eater Harry, but then what can you expect from someone who is a fan of Bellatrix and writes a FF with a serial killer Harry?_

_Anyway... We're opened to suggestions about Harry's position in the eventual war and for his pairing. We are unsure about his pairing. He will be Slytherin, so give your suggestion... It can be slash or not, and another Slytherin or not (but no Hermione, Ginny and Luna please). And Severus will be a father/mentor figure, so no Snarry (theresnomeaning is glaring at me while I write this). If you prefer no pairing, as does Felipe, speak too!_


	2. Chapter 2

_Thank you for all the reviews and suggestions! You are awesome :) _

_Romance would eventually happen only later on the story, Harry's indeed too young now, but we are leaning towards no pairing for him at all._

_We hope you like this chapter =]_

**Chapter 2**

It took almost an hour to heal all os Harry's injuries. Poppy worked with her spells while Severus helped with potions. The mediwitch had been livid when she saw the child, and it was a rare thing to see Poppy, an experienced mediwitch, in that state. Child abuse in the wizarding world wasn't nonexistent, but it was very much rarer than in the muggle world. When a wizard or witch was found out to be abusing a child the punishments were very grave, what disencouraged such a terrible act, thankfully. The last documented case of child abuse had been some generations ago in he Black family - but then, wasn't that a family known for their madness?

Most pureblood families would give their children everything they needed, raising perfect heirs and heiresses. Even in the worst families family honour was something very important to magical people, and abusing a child wasn't exactly the best way to cultivate that feeling. Even when a squib child was born at least they had the decency of giving the child to an orphanage.

"This is it," Poppy said, waving her wand over Harry one last time, setting monitoring spells. "His injuries were all healed or partially healed. There's no much I can do for the scars," she said frowning a bit. "He is malnourished, but we can deal with that in the next weeks, giving him food obviously and with the aid of potions."

"I will brew those."

"Thank you, Severus. I will also need a batch of blood replenishing potion, yesterday there was an accident at Hogsmeade and I used almost all of my stock there. People from St. Mungo's are so despicable, they don't give me a vial of potion if I don't pay for them. Honestly, they care more about the money than people's health."

Severus was only half listening to Poppy's complains, though. Part of his brain was still trying to piece together everything that happened. One would think that Dumbledore had placed _precious_ Harry Potter with fitting guardians. Really, from what Minerva told him she had warned Albus about how bad the Dursleys were. Snape had never cared about Harry Potter after that night in which Lily died, even though he swore to protect the boy, so he had not known that Potter was living with Petunia... But he would never think that Lily's sister would allow such a thing on her house... Her own nephew, for Merlin's sake!

So... If Minerva told Albus about her concerns, why had he allowed the golden boy to live in that situation of neglect and abuse? And, talking about Minerva, what were the old witch up to? Was she berating Albus? Snape would certainly want to be present when that happened.

"... Worries me the most is his mental health, though." Poppy said, taking Severus out of his reverie.

He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. There was no telling how Potter would be. He could be a frightened child, broken by the abuse or he could be the kind of child that tried to deny what happened, burying themselves under books and fairytales... And he could, of course, be the most dangerous type, the one that ended up jaded, cold and disbelieving in humanity. They would need to wait for Potter to wake up and see how the child behaved.

"You should contact someone from St. Mungo's that works with mind healing, Poppy."

"I will... You said Minerva called the aurors to deal with his relatives, right?" Severus nodded. "I hope the press isn't notified... Can you imagine how it would affect him? And not to mention that it would..." The witch bit her lip, hesitating "Oh, you know, people would have a reason to hate muggles."

Severus didn't like that conversation. Yes, he might have left the Dark Lord and repented some of the things he did, but the truth was that he wasn't fond of muggles and didn't give a damn about them, really. Just because magical beings _were_ superior it didn't mean that muggle were inoffensive. Severus's own childhood was a proof of that... And so was Potter's. The majority of wizards dealt better with squib children than the muggles with magical ones.

"I don't think Albus will allow this to fall on the hands of the press," Severus said to tranquilize the woman, but he wasn't so sure that Dumbledore would be able to control the situation without obliviating the aurors Minerva had called.

"I hope so."

"I must go, I will look for Minerva. Tomorrow I will bring the potions you requested." Severus said and strode out of the hospital wing.

.

Minerva was exhausted, more emotionally than physically. Really, the Dursleys didn't even have the decency to look like they regretted what they'd done to the poor child. Maybe calling the aurors had been a bad decision, she thought later, because one of them was a friend of Rita Skeeter. That was why she made all of them swear a vow of secrecy before allowing them in the house.

She was livid at Albus, yes, but also at herself. All those years ago she had seen how the Dursleys were not fitting to raise Harry, and although she never thought that they would be violent to the child, Minerva regretted that she didn't protest more fiercely when Albus left the boy with those horrid people.

"We will use Veritaserum and Legilimency to gather evidence," Auror Jones, the one leading the action said. "You said that Severus Snape took the boy to be healed by Poppy Pomfrey, right?" Minerva nodded. "We will also need the medical records she will have from his treatment. I understand why you want to keep this in secret, Professor McGonagall, it would be terrible for Potter if this was leaked to the press. Do not worry yourself, I will control my aurors and they will behave." he said, and then his face darkened a bit. "I cannot, however, control them when they are... Alone with those monsters, neither would I want to."

Minerva sighed. She knew that the aurors were not saints. Their ruthless training sometimes resulted in ruthless people - and how else would they be able to fight dark wizards?

"I didn't think you would care, Professor," Minerva scowled at the use - again - of the title. She had taught Jones many years ago and he insisted in calling her Professor. "I just didn't know you had it in you to cast an Unforgivable." McGonagall opened her mouth to deny it, but he continued. "I know how the after effects of a _Cruciatus_ look like..." the he stopped, realization hitting him. "It wasn't you! It was Snape, wasn't he? Well, I can't say I like the man, even if Dumbledore says he was a spy back in the war, but I can't condemn him for giving the aunt what she deserved. Potter has her blood running on his veins... It's just despicable to do what she did."

Minerva pursed her lips. She still had to talk with Severus about the fact that he had cursed Petunia, it wasn't right to take revenge that way, but right then she also did not have the force to protest against that, being to shocked by the events.

"We will contact Dumbledore, because he is Potter's magical guardian," Jones said. "He will have some explaining to do about this."

"Oh, I am sure he will," the witch replied. "I must return to Hogwarts now, I'd like to give Albus the news myself."

"Of course, Professor. I shall wait some hours before speaking with him, then."

Minerva left the place and the aurors took the Dursleys to the Ministry after talking with Vernon's sister, Marge, who took their son with her.

.

The first thing that Harry noticed upon waking up was that he wasn't in pain, what was extremely odd, because he recalled it very well that his uncle had beaten him recently. He wondered briefly if he was dreaming... But he was hungry, and certainly he wouldn't feel that in a dream. So where was he?

The second thing he noticed was that he laid in a bed, a real bed! Harry had never known before how it felt to lie on a soft mattress with warm blankets. There were curtains around his bed, and the child concluded that he must be in a hospital. He sighed... It was about time that someone had done something to help him! Had Vernon gone too far that time, and took Harry to the hospital in the fear of his nephew dying and him being arrested? Harry knew that it would be his relatives' only concern if he died.

His musings were interrupted by a middle aged woman that opened the curtains, smiling warmly to the boy. She wore some funny, old fashioned clothes, but looked like a nurse or a doctor.

"Good morning, Mr. Potter!" she said softly.

Harry tilted his head, analysing the woman. "Good morning. Where am I? Who are you?"

"My name is Poppy Pomfrey, I am the mediwitch of Hogwarts, where you are."

Medi-what? Harry frowned. "You said you are a what?"

"Oh, sorry... I forgot you were raised by muggles. Mediwitch is the wizarding equivalent to a doctor."

Harry was still confused. "Wizarding?"

The woman stared at Harry as though he'd grown another head, and then her hand covered her mouth and she whispered something "I can't believe it."

"I will be right back, Mr. Potter." she said and closed the curtains. Harry heard some funny words... It sounded like Italian or Latin... Something like "Patronum".

Harry was beginning to feel nervous and sweat, but forced himself to remain calm, he would need that if he had to flee or something like that. Perhaps now it was the time to run away from his relatives like he always dreamed of.

The woman returned, carrying a tray with food. The smell was delicious. "I believe you must be hungry, Mr. Potter... Here it is your breakfast."

Harry eyed the food suspiciously as she put the tray on his lap. He was hungry, starving, but the woman was weird, and talked about weird things... On the other hand, he was on a hospital... Well, she could be someone who would kill him to steal his organs to sell on the black market or some other kind of maniac. _But_ if that was the case she wouldn't feed him, would she? Shrugging mentally, the child picked up the fork and ate a piece of pancake. It tasted delicious, the best thing he had ever pit on his mouth.

The boy waited for some seconds, making sure that he wasn't feeling anything bad, and ate more until he finished the first pancake. There was a glass of juice on the tray too, it smelled like... Harry frowned, because the juice smelled like pumpkin - he had sometimes cooked pumpkin for the Dursleys. He left the juice untouched, deciding that perhaps there was some drug on it - why else would someone make pumpkin juice if not to disguise the bad taste of a drug?

A stern looking woman, wearing a dark grey dress arrived there and greeted the other one... What was her name, Poppy? Some minutes later a man fully dressed in black was there too. Harry's tension increased. That man certainly looked like someone who was involved in crimes... Lastly, an old man with a long beard, using a horrible purple cloak arrived.

Harry calculated his chances... The old man surely wouldn't be as fast as Harry if he decided to run, but the dark clothed man surely could reach Harry if he so wished. Potter tried to remind himself that he was in a hospital, so he shouldn't worry that much...

The three adults approached Harry's bed and the boy took a deep breath, waiting for what was to come.


End file.
